Industry-academia initiative links postdoctoral researchers with display companies

Five universities to place postdocs with partner firms for joint research

Lee Cheong, chairman of the Korea Display Industry Association. [Korea Display Industry Association]
Lee Cheong, chairman of the Korea Display Industry Association. [Korea Display Industry Association]

The Korea Display Industry Association is launching an industry-academia collaboration initiative to connect the technology needs of small and midsize companies with the research capabilities of university postdoctoral researchers.

The association held a launch ceremony Tuesday for the Advanced Manufacturing Convergence Talent Development Support Project at L Tower in Yangjae, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

About 90 people attended the ceremony, including representatives from five participating universities — Kyung Hee University, Sungkyunkwan University, Soonchunhyang University, Chung-Ang University and Hanyang University ERICA — along with partner companies, postdoctoral researchers and industry officials.

The display industry has seen growing demand for highly skilled research personnel, but small and midsize companies have struggled to secure master's- and doctoral-level talent.

At the same time, universities and research institutions have qualified postdoctoral researchers whose expertise has had limited opportunity to reach the industrial sector.

To bridge that gap, the association will support industry-academia projects and joint research by matching postdoctoral researchers' specialized capabilities with companies' technology needs.

Companies are expected to draw on postdoctoral expertise for technology development, while postdoctoral researchers will gain opportunities to apply their findings in industrial settings and expand their pathways into the private sector.

Five universities — Kyung Hee University, Sungkyunkwan University, Soonchunhyang University, Chung-Ang University and Hanyang University ERICA — are participating in the program, each advancing industry-academia collaboration through their postdoctoral researchers.

Lee Seung-woo, vice chairman of the Korea Display Industry Association, said small and midsize display companies face real difficulties securing master's- and doctoral-level specialists in the fields they need. "Through this program, we will actively support efforts to connect postdoctoral researchers' expertise with companies' technology needs, expand meaningful industry-academia collaboration, and help outstanding research talent find their way into the industry," he said.


joze@heraldcorp.com